The date is set for the 2009 County Wide Swap Shop - get your venue organised to join in the action on Saturday 7th March 2009. For more information or help in running a swap shop contact Frances (07903037290).

Swappers were out in their droves, bringing, taking or swapping, all for free, on Saturday 8th March at the Oxfordshire County Wide Swap Shop. The swap shops were run by the volunteer led Community Action Group network (CAG) and a number of other groups that joined in on the day, all working within Oxfordshire to save resources and reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.

There were three swaps during the preceding week, leading up to sixteen swap shops on the Saturday, attracting over 3000 people and at which a staggering 10 tonnes of goods were taken to be reused. Swap shops are great social events, not only giving people the opportunity to pass on items they no longer require, but also meet friends and neighbours, and chat over a cup of tea.

As most of the groups had collection points for such items as Tetrapaks (drink cartons) foil, batteries, members of the CAGs were busy showing the public what they could recycle. Many also collected electrical items that cannot be swapped, but are taken to be broken down for recycling. Alongside this, the CAG network had a trial run, collecting CDs and waste rigid plastics that were then collected up for recycling, rather than just being dumped in landfill.

Dorchester on Thames capitalised on the day to promote their newly formed CAG. Not only did they have a very lively swap shop, they also had information stands from Thames Valley Energy Centre, South Oxfordshire District Council, Fair trade products, Eco Street, reusable nappies and the CAG network. Their liquid soap refilling station was in operation; an initiative they run each Tuesday afternoon at the village hall.

The Faringdon CAG entertained the children with a man on stilts although the children were also busy swapping toys and puzzles on the table set aside for items especially for them.

Swap Shops were held at: Charlbury, Somerville College & Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, Abingdon: Long Furlong Community Centre, Abingdon: South Abingdon Children's Centre; Buscot Village Hall;Didcot: Fleet Meadow Community Centre; Didcot: Community Centre, All Saints School; Dorchester on Thames Village Hall ; Eynsham,The Scout HQ; Faringdon Corn Exchange; North Leigh Primary School Village Hall; Oxford: Barracks Lane Community Garden; Bullingdon Community Centre, Headington; St Margaret's Institute, Polstead Road;Thame Town Hall; Wallingford Regal Centre; Wheatley The Merry Bells; and Woodcote Village Hall.                                                     

The first COUNTY WIDE event held by CAGs around the County of Oxfordshire took place on Saturday 4th March 2006. 15 communities took part and 747 visitors were recorded with many more taking part through street Swaps. Not all 'swaps' were weighed but at least 1500kg of goods were diverted from landfill to good homes.

More than 2 000 people attended 17 Swap Shops across Oxfordshire as part of the County Wide event on Saturday 10th March.  A record five tonnes of unwanted items were taken to new homes in the second County-Wide Swap Shop coordinated by the Community Action Group (CAG) project, Oxfordshire.

The CAG project coordinator said: “The events were a resounding success; we were really pleased that all the hard work of the groups paid off and many people came and gave anunwanted item to good homes and further reduced the amount of waste being dumped in Oxfordshire’s landfills.

The CAGs were the first of their kind in the country and were set up by Resource Futures (previously The Recycling Consortium) in partnership with Oxfordshire County Council. The model is now being copied in other parts of Britain.

For more information, please contact the CAG project on 01865 815871.